Columns

First in a three-part series. As a cystic fibrosis (CF) patient, our community’s fight for a pipeline of new antibiotics and the research related to antimicrobial resistance remind me of the musical “Titanic.” Based on the sinking of the real ship on April 15, 1912,…

When I was a kid, my goal was to play second base for my favorite baseball team, the New York Yankees. When I realized that I couldn’t hit a baseball, arguably the hardest thing to do in any sport, I stopped playing. I also stopped playing basketball about the same…

Growing up, an often repeated adage in my family was “don’t have any expectations.” This was often reinforced during or after a health crisis related to cystic fibrosis (CF), in which some people in my family’s extended social network didn’t show up in the ways we’d hoped they would.

Being hospitalized for any length of time is a never-ending grind that never ceases to amaze me, both in good and annoying ways. I wouldn’t say bad, necessarily, but it definitely feels like I’m in a hamster wheel at times. As I write this, I’ve been in the hospital for…

“Intense.” That was the word our friend used to describe our daughter’s daily cystic fibrosis (CF) care routine. We were on the last day of a weeklong group vacation, spending every waking moment together. Prior to this trip, the only people who were familiar with the intricacies of our…

“Want to go for a ride in the car?” I ask my Australian shepherd and poodle mix, Azzie. It’s been a few months since I last trimmed his fur, so it’s grown out to the length that makes him look like a fuzzy Muppet. He wags his tail and pants…

My lung health has been on my mind my whole life. I’m constantly assessing potential environmental risks, my breathing, and what I can do to improve my lungs. Living with cystic fibrosis (CF) taught me to think about every breath. Five years of life after my double-lung transplant…

I want a tattoo, and my desire began with a scar. I touched on this subject in my column “Learning to Embrace My Poor Unfortunate Holes.” I wrote about my scars, the story behind each of them, and how I’ve grown to love them. However, I want to dive…

I don’t know about you, but I constantly sweat the small stuff. It’s probably not healthy and makes me come across as a control freak. If left in my hands, I do my best to be punctual. I get irritated, with physical effects, if I’m late. Sometimes, when life puts…

My two best friends love to wake me up every day around 6 a.m. They’re hungry and a little thirsty from a good night’s sleep. They’ll hang around in the kitchen and wait for me to give them their breakfast, and when they’re done, they both have to go to…